Treatment of Strabismic Amblyopia With Refractive Correction

Purpose: To report data on the response of previously untreated strabismic amblyopia to spectacle correction. Design: Prospective, interventional case series. Methods: Twelve patients with previously untreated strabismic amblyopia were prescribed spectacles and examined at five-week intervals until visual acuity was not improved from the prior visit. Results: Amblyopic eye acuity improved by 2 lines or more from spectacle-corrected baseline acuity in nine of the 12 patients (75%), resolving in three (interocular difference ≤1 line). Mean change from baseline to maximum improvement was 2.2 ± 1.8 lines. Improvement continued for up to 25 weeks. Conclusions: These results support the suggestion from a prior study that strabismic amblyopia can improve and even resolve with spectacle correction alone. Larger studies with concurrent controls are needed to confirm or refute these findings.